


The Terrible Tea Shop AU Fic

by zephsomething



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Abuse, Child Abuse, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-14 19:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4577217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephsomething/pseuds/zephsomething
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My firebending babies deserved better. This is a modern day tea shop au of Avatar the last airbender mostly focused around Zuko and/or Azula (I'm so sorry there's almost no tea shop in this, it's almost entirely high school)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer I have no idea how martial arts tournaments work so I’m making it up as I go along.  
> That’d be a trigger warning for abusive parents/siblings.  
> And thanks to Lindy (Rooish on tumblr) for Betaing for me

“Are you ready Zuko? This is the final match. You win this, you win the tournament.” His father’s voice cut through his thoughts.  
“I, uh, I think so.” He nodded looking up. Azula had just won the match in her level, which was higher than his but he tried not to think about that.  
“You think so?” A hard edge entered his father’s voice and Zuko tried not to flinch.  
“I’m ready. I can do this.” Zuko stood up straighter and nodded, looking over to the other side where his competitor was standing. He was next to a guy who looked like he might be his grandfather. The kid was tiny, definitely much younger than Zuko, and bald. Tiny and bald, with odd blue tattoos on his head and arms. Bouncy was a good way to describe him, his toes barely touched the mat while he talked to the old man with him.  
The ref beckoned them both in and Zuko walked up to the center of the mat and stood opposite from the kid.  
“Hi!” The kid grinned at him. This close up Zuko could see that what he’d thought were just marks of some kind on the other kid were actually tattoos. They looked to run over his whole body. Weird.  
The ref gave his spiel about the rules and such and then there was the signal to start. Zuko and the kid circled each other for a moment before Zuko struck out. Fast like his father had taught him. The kid twisted slightly and Zuko stumbled past him. The dodge was like nothing Zuko had seen anyone do before. There hadn’t been any warning, the kid had just moved at the last second. Zuko continued to strike. The kid stood back while Zuko got his footing back and just for that Zuko wanted to kill him, this wasn’t the time to go easy on each other. Footing back Zuko moved towards the kid again. Lashing out with both fists and kicks but the kid just kept dodging. Zuko got faster and faster and the kid just ducked around him, grinning the whole time. Zuko swung towards the kid and, much to his surprise, his fist connected with the other boy’s shoulder. At least he thought it did but then, Zuko didn’t really see how, he was suddenly looking at the roof. The kid was grinning down at him his foot lightly resting on Zuko’s throat as the ref called an end to the match.  
Zuko didn’t want to move. He’d lost. To a child. His father was going to kill him.  
His father didn’t say a single word until they were out in the parking lot. The slap didn’t come as a surprise and Zuko knew better than to flinch away from it. Azula lounged against the car holding her ribbons and trophies while his father spoke to him.  
“How could you do this? You lost to a boy almost half your age and less than half your size.” Ozai loomed over Zuko his words sounding like a snarl. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t lock you in your room for the rest of the summer. Your life is a slander on our families honor, get in the car and don’t you say a word until we get home.”  
As Zuko got into the car he heard his father turn to Azula and congratulate her on her win. He pointed out where she could have done better on the trip home.  
The next few days were a blur of trying desperately, and failing, to avoid his father’s wrath. He was the first in the family to have a losing streak this bad. The worst part was how humiliating it had been. He hadn’t even been able to land a hit on the kid no matter how hard he had tried and then the boy had flipped him and won. It all came to a head almost a week after the tournament when Zuko was cleaning up from dinner and the plate slipped from his hand. The clatter would have been bad enough but the plate shattered and his father came in as Zuko was cleaning up the mess of broken shards and food. The snarled words coming out of his father’s mouth blurred together after the blow to his head. Everything went fuzzy and he wasn’t entirely sure what was happening until he felt his face burning.  
Then there was a door slam and loud voices that weren’t his fathers and a scream that might have been his. The rest of it was a blur of grey to black as he felt his consciousness slip away.


	2. The aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko gets obsessive  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Lindy (Rooish on tumblr) for Betaing for me

The next few weeks were a blur of an entirely different kind for a number of reasons. The main one being that the door slamming Zuko had heard before passing out was actually the police coming in based on a few calls they had gotten after the tournament. At least that’s what they had explained to Zuko and Azula on the first night after they’d been taken from their father’s house to a group home. Then there was, apparently, a lot of calling family members and paperwork and things Zuko didn’t really pay attention to. He was really more concerned with the burn that now covered most of the right side of his face.  
Azula was taken first. A pair of Aunts, well his father’s advisers anyway, came for her a few days after they’d been removed from their home. She had, of course, had reacted with ‘oh thank god I get to go back to civilization this place has been hell on earth’ when they’d come for her but Zuko had breathed a sigh of relief when they’d left. This place, despite the overcrowding and the abundance of rules, was far better than his father’s house.  
It was nearly a week and a half later that Iroh came. Zuko hadn’t seen his uncle since before his mother had left. He recognized him anyway, though Iroh took longer to recognize Zuko. Zuko didn’t say much as Iroh filled out paperwork and brought him back to his house. It didn’t take Zuko long to settle more or less into a routine of helping out in his uncle’s tea shop. Though he’d never admit it he liked the name of it, The Jasmine Dragon, it suited his uncle. It was the nightmares that made it hard to properly settle into his new life, though. They started nearly as soon as he moved in with his uncle and only got worse as his burn healed and scarred. After a particularly bad one Zuko got out of bed and headed to the living room of the flat above his Uncle’s tea shop. It was the only place with enough room to train.  
“Zuko! Good morning, would you like some tea?” Iroh greeted him as he walked past the kitchen.  
“I need to beat him uncle! The boy who won the tournament. I need to get back into fighting shape and beat him.” Zuko stopped long enough to glare at his uncle. “It’s the only way I’ll get back my honour!”  
“So is that a no to tea then? I just made a new pot.”  
Zuko let out a frustrated noise and continued to the living room to run through his routines. His uncle just didn’t understand. He had been entirely humiliated by the kid. There was no way he could lose like that again. His father would never allow it.  
Taking a deep breath Zuko focused entirely on running through his routines. He hardly even noticed when his uncle came into the room and sat down on the couch with his tea. At least not until his uncle started speaking.  
“Your technique is off.” Zuko paused and looked at his uncle with a raised eyebrow. “Power comes from the breath, not the muscles. Your breath becomes energy in your body which strengthens your blows.”  
“I’ve been drilling this sequence for years! I know how to do it.” Zuko glared at his uncle. “If you’re going to bother me the least you could do is teach me more advanced techniques.”  
“If you have yet to properly master the basics you will not be able to learn more advanced moves.” Iroh sipped his tea calmly.  
“The kid who beat me is obviously a prodigy! He must have mastered a dozen different fighting styles by now.” Zuko snapped spinning to properly face his uncle. “I’m more than ready to learn harder moves!”  
“You are impatient and I am not finished my tea.”  
The noise that came out of Zuko’s mouth was much closer to a snarl than actual words and he spun away from his uncle to work through another set of moves he knew. He needed to get back into shape, there were competitions coming up and now that his eye was nearly healed he could get back into them again.  
“You would do better to learn patience.” Iroh spoke quietly opening up the days newspaper.  
Zuko said nothing as he ran through his practice routine again trying to correct everything he assumed his father would critique him on. Which was usually every single movement.  
“There is a competition next week, should I assume you want to enter it, then?” The sentence was accompanied by crinkling of paper as Iroh set the newspaper down along with his now empty cup.  
“Yes!” Zuko stopped his routine to glare at Iroh. “Or did you think I was practising so I could never enter another competition?”  
“Then I gather it is a good thing that I entered you when I heard about it.”  
“You did?” That did give Zuko pause. “I’d thought…”  
“You’d thought that you’d have to prove to me that you could manage yourself at a competition?” Iroh shook his head.  
“Well yes, I lost so badly at the last competition I was in.” Zuko’s arms fell to his sides as he looked at his uncle. Then he shook his head and focused again. Regardless of what his uncle said he needed to beat this kid to regain his honour.  
Summer past in a blur for Zuko. Between working at the tea shop with his uncle and closing the tea shop early, or sometimes for the whole day for his competitions, there was little time for his to stop and think. With the exception of the waits between matches at competitions when he could see Azula and his father. After the first couple of attempts he had stopped trying to get their attention, it rarely ended well. Zuko couldn’t help but notice as Azula continued to win all her competitions. For his part Zuko won all of his competitions as well. With the obvious exception of the boy who had so thoroughly beaten him before. The boy had simply disappeared. He was gone and Zuko was left with no way to regain his honour. The competitions helped of course. Gave him somewhere to let out some of his anger but it continued to build with every competition that he didn’t see the other boy at.  
Before long it was the last match of the summer and again the boy was absent. Zuko nearly lost a match as his anger simmered and he stormed back to his uncle after winning. Smoke all but billowing from his ears.  
“You must learn to control that anger of yours Zuko or it will overwhelm you entirely.” Iroh greeted him.  
“I won that’s all that matters.” Zuko snarled crossing his arms and glaring as the next set of fighters went up. (Maybe mention Azula is up next?)He watched the referee give the signal for them to start.  
“Perhaps I should bring some calming jasmine tea to the next match. You could enjoy a cup before your fight.”  
“I don’t need any calming tea! I need to beat that kid!” Zuko snarled at his uncle. “I need to beat him to restore my honour!”  
“Tea sounds like a wonderful idea.” Iroh nodded to himself fishing around in his pocket and making a note on the pad he carried around. “A Jasmine and maybe a nice Ginseng as well.”  
There was a sudden cheering and Zuko turned from his uncle just in time to see Azula press her heel against some poor boys throat. His father stood in the background nodding approvingly and the two older ladies who had helped raise him and Azula, and their father for that matter, clapped quietly. Zuko however barely noticed them as he locked eyes with his sister. She grinned at him with too many teeth and cold eyes. He looked away as the ref walked over to her.  
Iroh made a thoughtful noise as he watched Azula swagger back to her father. “She is precise, and given her own way, likely a deadly opponent.”  
Zuko made and irritated noise and looked back towards his uncle. He didn’t say anything else to his uncle for the rest of the competition, not that there was much left. Awards were handed out, Azula won in her bracket and Zuko won his. Zuko and Iroh got back to the shop with time to open for a few hours for the after dinner regulars.


	3. School starts up again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zuko is a nerd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thanks to Lindy (Rooish on tumblr) for Betaing for me

Grade ten started off like every other year of school Zuko had been to thus far. Dozens of sheets to be brought to the student’s parent and/or guardian to be signed and returned by no later than blah blah blah. Zuko pretty much tuned it out, he’d heard the whole spiel a thousand times. Really it was of relatively little interest to him by this point. This only interesting part of the first day were the whispers of new kids in the school. In a school as small, and expensive as this one was, as this one was it was unusual to have one new kid a year let alone the two or three who’d apparently started this year. Zuko tuned back in as the teacher dismissed Zuko’s class to lunch.  
“Sokka! Katara!” Zuko had to dodge out of the way as some kid dressed all in blue shot passed him towards two other kids in the hall. He’d never been able to figure out if all the kids dressed in blue were related or not. They all dressed similarly and looked pretty much the same but he’d also seen couples who looked nearly identical so he could never really be sure. He got stuck walking behind the lot of them on the way to the cafeteria. The only bonus of that was he could overhear their conversation. “Did you hear about the new kids?”  
“Of course I did, I met them both of course. Mrs Brown had me show them both around school and help them find their classes.” That one could only be Katara. As far as Zuko could tell she was every teacher’s pet. She also appeared for the most part to be well liked by the other students, with the obvious exception of Azula and her crowd who disliked everyone on principle.  
“Well what are they like?” “Interesting?” “Boring?” “Best to be avoided?” “Think either of them will drop out?” Zuko wasn’t really sure who’d said what in that particular flurry of questions.  
“Be nice.” Katara glared at whoever had offended her. “They’re lovely kids, both in grade seven. They seem to like each other well enough as well.”  
“You could even say they get along smashingly.” Sokka grinned at his sister, though she seemed less amused by him than he’d like. “Oh come on that was brilliant.”  
Katara just made a bored sounding noise as the lot of them turned the corner into the cafeteria. Whatever Sokka said in response was lost in the din of kids and cooks and food. Zuko grabbed his lunch quickly and looked around the room. The table with Azula and her friends had free seats but he’d barely been tolerated there before- he seriously doubted they’d like having him there now. As his eyes wandered over the tables looking for somewhere to sit he noticed a bald head with blue arrow tattoos. It took a moment to register but as soon as it clicked who the new kid was Zuko was heading in his direction.  
“You! It’s all your fault!” Zuko slammed his tray down on the table the boy was sitting at.  
“Another friend of yours Aang?” The voice barely registered with Zuko as he glared at the boy, Aang, the laughter in it however did register.  
“I don’t know, he looks kind of familiar but I think I’d remember that scar.” Aang shrugged looking up at Zuko. “What’s my fault?”  
“You ruined everything!” Zuko snarled at him. “My life was fine until you came along and then you ruined it!”  
“I’m sorry for whatever I did. I didn’t intend to cause you harm.” Aang looked up at him puzzled more than afraid of him.  
“Thought you said you don’t even remember him what are you apologizing for?” The girl beside him stared off into the distance and Zuko more or less dismissed her as simply annoying.  
“He’s obviously upset the least I can do is apologize for whatever I did to upset him.” Aang shrugged without looking away from Zuko.  
“Don’t patronize me!” Zuko grabbed the front of Aang’s shirt and dragged him up off the bench. “I can’t believe I let you beat me, you’re just a child!”  
“Yeah well you’re just a teenager!”  
“Solid comeback, really impressive twinkle toes.” The girl sitting next to Aang said, still staring off at nothing. She seemed oddly undisturbed by the whole scene really.  
“Zuko put him down!” Katara came running over from whatever table her and her lot were sitting at. Her brother trailing after her obviously less than pleased at being dragged into this whole thing. “You really don’t want to cause trouble on the first day!”  
“You don’t know the first thing about me!” Zuko snapped. “He ruined everything!”  
“He’s twelve, what could he possibly ruin for you?” Katara glared at him.  
“What did he do take the last juice box?” Sokka rolled his eyes then looked at the kid more closely. “You didn’t right? Take the last juice box?”  
“Forget the jucie box Sokka!” Katara shot a glare at her brother before looking at Zuko again.  
“What?” Zuko and Aang spoke at the same time. Zuko glared at the kid and Aang just shrugged, rather nonchalantly considering Zuko was still holding him by his collar.  
“Put him down or I’ll get a teacher over here and you’ll get in trouble before school even really starts again.” Katara put her hands on her hips  
“Hey then at least you’ll be the best at something, I don’t think even Azula’s managed to get in trouble on the first day back.” Sokka grinned at him and if looks could kill he would have dropped in seconds.  
As it was Zuko just shoved Aang towards Katara with a glare. “Fine have it your way, protect the little twerp.”  
“Well I think they should fight, twinkle toes can take him.” The small girl nodded and Zuko glared at her. The kid practically reeked of money in a way that would have rivaled Azula if she’d had any actual fashion sense.  
“Just look at him Toph. He’s twice Aang’s size.” Sokka gestured in Zuko’s direction.  
The girl responded by waving a hand in front of her face and grinning, all teeth and laughter. “I’m blind remember? Or did your sister not tell you?”  
“Oh right. Well, you would come up to just above his elbow and he’s wider than Aang by about another half.”  
“Not as quiet though, I could hear him coming from half way across the cafeteria.”  
“I’m right here!” Zuko glared at the lot of them, mostly at the girl, Toph, and Sokka as they were currently the most annoying of the lot.  
“Really? I thought you’d have left by now.” Toph looked, well turned her head to face in his general direction again. “Unless you’re actually going to try and go through Katara and Sokka to fight twinkle toes.”  
Zuko made an irritable noise and picked up his tray again before storming off out of the cafeteria and out into the field. The rest of the day was spent seething about the fact that he now went to school with the kid who’d destroyed his life and then not even bothered to show up at any competition for the rest of the summer. Not to mention the kid had already managed to find himself a group of friends. What a jerk.


	4. In which Zuko is easily upset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula Why do you have to be so mean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thanks to Lindy (Rooish on tumblr) for Betaing for me

It took almost a week for Azula to catch the bald kid alone. He made friends way to easily for someone so obviously weird. Although from the stories, kids seemed more interested in his tales about other countries than in the kid himself.  
“So now that you’ve caught me,” The bald kid shook the arm she was holding onto as he spoke. “Who are you and what do you want with me?”  
“You don’t see the family resemblance? Here’s a hint.” Azula covered one eye with her free hand and imitated Zuko’s voice. “You ruined my life! You ruined everything.”  
The kid just raised an eyebrow at her looking entirely too unimpressed for her standards.  
“Oh come on you can laugh, it’s funny.” Azula let go of his arm but stood so he’d still be cornered. “Or not, whatever. In any case if you want to leave you’ll have to try and beat me. You humiliated my brother, twice, and as such have tarnished our families honor.”  
“I did what?” The kid just looked at her. He honestly looked almost confused.  
“Beat him, it was kind of pathetic on his part actually.” Azula rolled her eyes. “Which is of course, why I have to beat you. Don’t take it personally.” She paused for a moment as if in thought. “Or do, I really don’t care either way.”  
“Violence never sol-”  
Azula interrupted him by smacking the flat of her palm into his chest sending him tumbling backwards. “Yeah yeah I know the saying, I just personally disagree with it.”  
“You don’t-”  
“Oh just shut up and fight me.” Azula stepped just close enough to knock him back against the wall again. “Or are you just going to let me beat you up? It’s less fun that way.”  
“So let me go?” He looked almost hopeful, that was no good.  
Azula stepped back just far enough that he tried to dart past her. She grinned and spun jamming her elbow backwards into his ribs as he tried to get past her. He stumbled and turned around. “You don’t even like your brother!”  
“So?” Two steps and she was between him and the way out again, he turned slowly to watch her. “I can’t have you ruining our family’s reputation.”  
He just blinked at her looking thoroughly confused which annoyed her to no end. Really it wasn’t that bloody hard to figure out what she was talking about. She narrowed her eyes and struck out at him. The fact that he managed to block was almost impressive. In fact he managed to block or dodge almost every hit now that he was trying. Just as she started to become properly focused on the fight she heard footfalls. She turned to see Katara and her lot running over.  
“We’re not done.” She glared at the boy before taking off. Most days she’d happily take them all on but she had a competition coming up and she wasn’t allowed to be in anything but her best shape.  
She hadn’t intended to run into Zuko moments later, it was just a happy coincidence.  
“Zuzu, it’s been a while! How are you doing living with his tea loving kookiness?” Azula greeted Zuko with a harder than necessary punch on his shoulder. “Did you hear? Father actually fought for custody of me.”  
“Don’t call me that.” Zuko turned to look at her the irritated look on his face pulling at the skin of his burn.  
“It’s okay Zuzu I know it must be hard knowing father couldn’t even be bothered to try and get you back. I’ll let you in on a secret. It wasn’t that he couldn’t be bothered,” Azula leaned closer to him. “He just doesn’t want you back.”  
“Go away Azula.” Zuko just sighed and Azula smiled at him.  
“I mean why would he? You’re a disgrace, a disappointment, I mean come on you lost to a child. Twice.” Azula grinned when he finally lashed out at her. She dodged easily, he’d always been so predictable. “I mean really, Zuzu, you didn’t even manage to land a hit on the kid. Were you even trying?”  
“Shut up.” His snarl was accompanied by a blow that she knocked to the side easily.  
“Make me Zuzu.” She’d been able to beat him since they were children she doubted that would change now. “If you even can.”  
The punch Zuko tried to hit her with was as sloppy as it was easy to dodge. She simply ducked under it. Her blows of course landed home, one to the shoulder on the arm he’d tried to hit her with, and the other was her flat palm to the center of his back making him stumble. He turned quicker than she’d expected and tried to kick her. She stepped to the side and kicked the knee he was standing on. It was almost too easy to knock him over.  
“Aw. Zuzu is that all you’ve got?” She shook her head looking down at him on the ground. “No wonder father wants nothing to do with you.”  
The noise out of Zuko’s mouth was almost a snarl as he surged up ignoring proper forms altogether to simply grab her around the waist and try and knock her over as well. She let him knock her back catching herself with her hands and using her feet to catapult Zuko over her head. She twisted and launched herself back to her feet landing gracefully as Zuko scrambled back up as well. This time she didn’t wait for Zuko to start she went straight on the attack. Each blow forcing Zuko back and not allowing him to get his feet back under him. The blow that landed on her gut took her by surprise and suddenly she was the one stumbling backwards blocking more than dishing out. She tripped and fell to backwards. Using the momentum from her fall she rolled backwards and back to her feet shooting back up and catching Zuko’s wrists.  
“Doesn’t that feel better Zuzu?” She grinned at him.  
“Azula leave your brother alone.” Azula let out an irritated noise and rolled her eyes at the sound of her Uncle’s voice.  
“He was the one attacking me uncle, I just defended myself.” Azula put on her most innocent smile as she turned around to face Iroh.  
“All the more reason that you should be happy I showed up to bring him home.” Iroh gestured and Zuko brushed past her to walk over to their uncle.  
“You can’t bring him home. Father is still disappointed in him.” Azula tilted her chin slightly so she could look down on them both.  
Iroh just sighed as he looked at her before turning and walking away. Zuko glared at her one last time before following Iroh like the pathetic kid he was. Whatever, she didn’t like either of them anyway. She was way better off with just Mai and Ty Lee as friends. At least they feared and respected her.


	5. In which there is talking and also fighting, well mostly fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko really needs to stop listening to his sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Lindy (Rooish on tumblr) for Betaing for me

“I cannot believe I’m stuck in detention with you!” Katara snapped, pacing around the detention room. “You’re a terrible person, you know that?”  
Zuko for his part just put his head on the table. Part of him wished that the teachers actually stayed in the room with them, but today apparently they were too busy and instead simply checked in every now and again.  
“Do you even think about how other people might be effected by your actions?” He didn’t look up. “Or what they might be going through as well? What I might have gone through?”  
Though he said nothing Zuko finally looked up to see Katara perched on a desk a few rows away with her back to him.  
“No of course not, all you care about is the fact that some twelve year old beat you in some stupid tournament.” There was something different about her voice now. Zuko couldn’t really figure it out but her words sounded heavier almost. “All you do is follow us around and try to beat up Aang because he beat you once.”  
Zuko just sat there staring at her. He might have responded but honestly nothing she was saying was really untrue. So instead he just let her get it out of her system. It wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it anyway.  
“What did I expect though? You couldn’t possibly understand what anyone else has gone through. What I personally have gone through. I lost my mother because of someone like you who couldn’t let a bloody grudge go.” Her voice was definitely different now and punctuated with what sounded like crying.  
“That’s something we have in common then.” Zuko said quietly and when Katara looked over at him wiping her tears away, he felt the need to explain further. “My mother disappeared when I was young, I don’t know what happened to her. One morning she was just gone.”  
“I’m sorry I yelled earlier.” Katara said quietly turning in her desk to face him. “I just, you’ve spent the last few months being nothing but awful to us and Aang specifically.”  
They lapsed into silence for a few minutes until Katara spoke again. “What was she like? Your mother I mean?”  
“She was kind, and beautiful.” Zuko said looking down at his hands as he tried to remember more about his mother. “We used to feed the ducks that came to our pond.”  
“She sounds lovely.” Katara said quietly.  
“She was.” Zuko nodded “What about your mother?”  
“My mother was a nurse of sorts. She looked after everyone in our family.” Katara got a faraway look in her eyes while she thought. “She had the kindest face but she was also one of the most courageous people I’ve ever known.”  
Zuko, unable to think of anything to say, simply nodded sympathetically.  
“This necklace is all I have left of her.” Katara said touching it lightly.  
The next lapse into quiet was broken by the opening of the door as the teacher walked back in and nodded to them both. “Okay detention’s over.” The teacher jerked a thumb at the door looking bored before heading to the desk. “Get gone.”  
They did exactly that heading out of the room together.  
“Aang!” Katara broke into a grin as she saw Aang waiting for her and ran over to him.  
Zuko frowned whatever moment they’d just had apparently didn’t trump the fact that the little twerp existed.  
The teacher, having apparently finished whatever it was they needed to do in the classroom walked past the lot of them holding the door open long enough for someone to enter before they left.  
“Zuzu, aren’t you going to run over to me?” Zuko’s head snapped around at the sound of his sister’s voice.  
“Azula.” Zuko narrowed his eyes at her. He wasn’t sure what to expect, the longer he went without living with her the harder it got to judge her moods at a glance.  
“No I suppose it’s not the time for a touching reunion is it?” Azula looked over to where Katara and Aang were standing looking between the two of them with unsure expressions.  
“What do you want Azula?”  
“Your help brother. Zuko come on now the only reason father is angry with you is because you can’t beat the little twerp.” Azula’s smile was almost warm as she looked at him. “Today can be a glorious day, I’ve thought about it. Every time I’ve thought it through it only works if we fight together. Together we can beat the baldy and his irksome friend. We can get your honour back. You will have father’s love. Everything you ever wanted. I can’t do it without you though brother.”  
“I won’t let you hurt him.” Katara said before Zuko had a chance to respond. “Whatever issue you have with Aang this isn’t necessary.”  
“You’re starting to bother me.” Azula turned her attention from Zuko to Katara. “What are you going to do girl? Stop me?”  
“Yes.” Katara glared at her and Azula just laughed stepping towards her with the grace of a cat. Katara moved to meet her.  
Azula circled her slowly before aiming a blow that Zuko was shocked Katara managed to deflect. Katara’s blow caused Azula to jump back to avoid it landing herself between Katara and Aang. At some point Aang had slipped into a fighting stance as well and the three faced off for a moment. Zuko stepped forward and all three heads turned to look at him. Katara looked hopeful, Azula just looked expectant and possibly a little bored. Then Zuko looked at Aang. This jerk had utterly humiliated Zuko and he had the gall to look almost hopeful, as though Zuko would choose him over his sister. As soon as Zuko finished his thought, he noticed Aang narrowing his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye Zuko saw Azula smirk as he launched a series of blows at Aang. Aang managed to dodge most of them but one caught him on the shoulder and he stumbled back. Zuko lost track of what Katara and Azula were doing while he fought Aang. Aang still managed to dodge most of his blows but Zuko was driving him back. Then Aang jumped out of Zuko’s reach and took a deep breath. It was only then that Zuko noticed how close they’d gotten to Azula and Zuko. Azula ducked under Katara’s elbow causing Zuko to have to block it. He almost didn’t notice that Azula had snapped one of her legs up and out until he heard a loud crack and turned to watch Aang crumble to the floor.  
“Aang!” Katara pushed past Zuko to run to Aang’s side while Azula smirked down at them.  
Zuko didn’t know what would have happened next if Iroh hadn’t picked that moment to walk into the room.  
“What is happening here?” Iroh looked around the room his eyes coming to rest on the boy crumpled on the floor.  
“I’m sure I don’t know uncle, he just fell over.” Azula smiled innocently at her uncle before turning to her brother.  
Katara stared at Azula with barely contained fury but didn’t try to argue with her just picked Aang up hooking one of his arms over her shoulder and her free arm around his waist.“I need to get him to a doctor.” She walked out without looking at any of them.  
Iroh looked between Azula and Zuko with a frown. “Let’s go home Zuko.” The words sounded enough like a reprimand for Zuko to flinch slightly before following his uncle.  
“See you tomorrow Zuzu!” Azula’s voice followed him out of the room.


	6. Bonfires and sob stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You should recognize parts of this from the show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long guys, life got busy all the sudden  
> As always huge thanks to Lindy (Rooish on tumblr) for Betaing for me

“Zuko! Aren’t you going to join us?” Azula’s voice caught him off guard as he looked around the lunchroom for somewhere to sit. He was more used to insults than compliments from her and this was her highest form of compliment.  
“I, yes of course.” Zuko said as he sat at the table, in the seat indicated by Azula which was between herself and Mai.  
“Isn’t it nice to be back among friends? What took you so long to come back Zuko?” Azula blinked at him all over done innocence, it reminded him of the look she got when she knew she was going to win a match.  
“I don’t know.” Of course he did know, everyone sitting there was well aware that Azula would have never in a million years let him sit there without a personal invite to the table. It was however the safest answer.  
“That’s your problem Zuko, you never know.” Azula shook her head looking almost disappointed but brightened quickly and grinned across the table at Ty Lee. “But you know what I know?”  
“Is it about the thing?” Ty Lee grinned back at her. Zuko had never really understood that particular friendship. “The special thing?”  
“Of course.” Azula turned to grin at Zuko and by proxy Mai. It took most of Zuko’s willpower to not join Mai as she rolled her eyes at their antics. “What I know is that father got the beach house all set up so I can bring whoever I want there over break. You are of course welcome to come, assuming Uncle will allow you that much freedom.”  
“I’m going! So’s Mai.” Ty Lee said in a sing song voice that dragged Mai’s name out into more syllables that Zuko would have thought possible.  
“I will come.” Zuko nodded to Azula. “Assuming Uncle has no objections of course.”  
As it turned out Iroh in fact had zero protests once he knew that Ozai would not be at the beach house. Zuko decided his uncle probably didn’t need to know that Azula was helping him communicate with his father, especially not now that he seemed so supportive of the Azula and Zuko speaking to each other. Iroh called it building a loving sibling relationship. So when school ended for the break Iroh drove Zuko and his small suite case out to the family beach house and dropped him off to spend the week with his sister and her friends. Most of the week past in a bit of a blur of beach parties and house parties, and one particularly interesting volleyball game. As it turned out most of the beach houses in the are were also full of mostly unsupervised teens. During one particularly loud party nearing the end of the week Zuko escaped out onto the beach only to find the Mai was already in the spot he’d intended to hide out in. She was leaning against the cliff wall that created the little alcove, which was unfortunately to small for Zuko to leave without her noticing.  
“You decided to sulk on the beach instead of enjoying the party again?” Mai asked looking at him out of the corner of her eye.  
“I don’t sulk.” Zuko glared at her. “They’re just so, loud and happy. It pisses me off.”  
“Welcome to the club.” She gestured for him to join her in leaning against the cliff.  
“Heh,” Zuko rubbed his neck as he leaned next to her looking out at the water. “You two then?”  
“That’s what I just said.” Mai made a small breathy noise that for her almost qualified as laughter.  
Zuko nodded without saying anything. The two of them stayed like that in silence for some time as the sounds of the party swelled and eventually died out behind them. It wasn’t long until Azula and Ty Lee found them cracking comments about how misery did apparently love company. Though it only took Mai a few words to distract them both from their teasing.  
“Seems like a good night for a bonfire.” She said quietly as soon as the other two took a breath.  
“Let’s do it!” Ty Lee practically squealed grabbing Azula’s hand and bouncing. Then she took off, cartwheeling once or twice on her way. “I’ll go find some drift wood!”  
Azula rolled her eyes but gathered driftwood with the others anyway. They met up in the same alcove after a few minutes and piled the wood together. It only took one try for Azula to make it catch and the lot of them settled around the fire happy for the moment to just enjoy the warmth. Which of course didn’t last long.  
“You know those boys weren’t laughing with you right Ty Lee?” Azula looked over at the girl apparently picking up a conversation they’d been having before arriving at the beach, one that by Ty Lee’s face she was rather hoping Azula would have let drop. “Everyone thinks you look ridiculous when you pull the circus freak act. Most people get over Gymnastics by the end of elementary.”  
“They can laugh at me all they want.” Ty Lee rolled her eyes. “You want to know why I stuck with gymnastics?”  
“Oh boy here we go.” Azula sighed looking almost disdainfully at Ty Lee.  
“There are six of us Azula. Six. Every single one of my sisters looks exactly like me. Do you have any idea what that’s like? Growing up as part of a matched set?” Ty Lee glared at her. “At least I’m different now. Circus freak is a compliment.”  
“I guess that explains your need to flirt with everything that moves too.” Mai said dryly looking at the girl.  
“I’m sorry. What?” Ty Lee turned her glare on Mai instead.  
“Attention issues.” Mai said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You couldn’t get enough attention as a child so you’re trying to make up for it now.”  
“What explains you then?” Ty Lee glare fading to something more mocking. “You were an only child until a year or two ago but even with all that your aura is a dingy pasty grey thi-”  
“I don’t believe in Auras.” Mai rolled her eyes interrupting Ty Lee.  
“You don’t believe in anything.” Azula laughed.  
“Well I’m so sorry I can’t be as high strung as you lot.” Mai leaned back looking at the others.  
“It’s not that you’re not high strung it’s that you don’t ever show emotion.” Zuko said trying to explain, which he realized very quickly was a mistake as all three turned to look at him.  
“He’s right Mai.” Azula turned to Mai after a second. “You are a bit emotionless.”  
“What do you want me to say exactly? Do you want a teary confession of how hard my childhood was?” Mai made a noise that from someone else might have qualified as a snort but from her it was barely a sniff. “Well it wasn’t. I was a rich only child and I got everything I ever wanted. All I had to do was behave, be still and quiet and not speak unless spoken to. Mother said I had to stay out of trouble, we had my father’s political career to think about after all.”  
“Well that explains it.” Azula nodded. “You have a controlling mother who shut you down if you tried to stray from her expectations of you. That’s why you’re to afraid to care about anything and why you never express yourself.”  
“You want me to express myself?” Mai asked raising her eyebrows. “Leave me alone!”  
“I like it when you express yourself.” Zuko said quietly looking at Mai with a small smile.  
“You don’t even know me anymore.” Mai snapped glaring at him.  
“Well this all hasn’t exactly been easy for me.” Zuko waved his arms to attempt to indicate basically everything that had happened lately.  
“It still doesn’t excuse the way you acted. You just stopped responding to everyone.” Mai crossed her arms.  
“Ugh!” Zuko practically shouted as he stood up and began pacing. “For so long I’ve thought if I could just do better then dad and everyone would accept me and I’d be happy. I’m not home yet but dad talks to me! He even thinks I beat Aang! Everything should be on the way to perfect, right? I should be happy! But I’m not! I’m angrier than ever and I don’t know why!”  
“Well that’s simple enough to figure out.” Azula shook her hair out of her face and looked over at him. “You just need to figure out who you are angry with.”  
“No one.” Zuko stop pacing to look at her with a shrug. “I’m just angry.”  
“Yeah Zuko.” Mai looked at him as well. “Who are you angry with?”  
“Everyone!” Zuko through his hands up. “I don’t know!”  
“Is it Dad?” Azula raised a brow.  
“No!”  
“Your Uncle?” Ty Lee of course felt the need to join in.  
“Me?” Azula offered grinning.  
“No! No no no!” Zuko shook his head.  
“Then who?”  
“Who are you angry at?”  
“Answer the question Zuko.”  
Zuko shook his head as the three of them pestered him. “I don’t,”  
“Yeah, talk to us.”  
“Come on, answer it”  
“Come on, answer the question.”  
“Me!” Zuko shouted over the three of them. “I’m angry at myself.”


	7. In which there are dates and awkwardness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Mai start more or less kind of dating now I guess?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many many thanks to Lindy (hamboogle on tumblr for the halloween season) for betaing this much longer than anticipated fic

“So uh, I hear you like tarts.” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at himself in the mirror. “No that’s stupid. Hey Mai I found this neat café, no that’s terrible. You see there’s this place that serves uh, food.” He started pacing. “You know you and me we could go out sometime, and uh, eat… Why in the world would she say yes? I wouldn’t say yes to me.” A groan escaped as he rubbed at his face with his hands. “This is going to go terribly.”  
“What’s going to go terribly?” Iroh asked poking his head around the corner into Zuko’s room.  
“Nothing, I have to go.” Zuko grabbed his bag and bolted past his uncle. “To school because learning or something.”  
Iroh raised an eyebrow and glanced at the clock. “You’re going to be very early.” Zuko was already out the door by the time Iroh finished his sentence. “How nice it must be to be so young and full of energy.”  
Zuko did in fact get to school significantly earlier than planned. Though as he had only gotten about halfway through his homework the night before, it was probably for the best. The school library was, perhaps unsurprisingly, almost completely empty this early. He sat at the first table he came across and started on his work.  
A while later Zuko felt the table shift as someone sat down. Which was odd considering how quiet the library still was. Zuko looked up through his hair, he really needed to get that cut, to see who it was. It was Mai. Mai was sitting primly across from him.  
“You’re here.” Zuko’s voice squeaked and he cleared his throat hoping he could pass it off as normal growing up voice cracks.  
“I do also go to this school.” Mai nodded without looking up from the papers she was spreading in front of her.  
“Yes right. We attend the same school.” Zuko stared at his paper wondering if it was possible to suddenly develop the ability to sink into the ground. That would be useful right about now.  
“I sat at the same table as you because then most people will simply avoid this table.” Mai continued without prompting. This might be the most words she’d spoken in a row to Zuko.  
“Of course, yes that makes sense.” He nodded. Of course it did. Mai didn’t like people. It made sense to sit with him to avoid being bothered.  
“You are also not terrible company.” Mai said highlighting her notes as she spoke.  
“Do you want to go somewhere together sometime for more of my not terrible company?” Zuko blurted lifting his head to look at her. “Well uh there’s this place and they’ve got food, I mean there’s a cafe I found and there’s uh, you like tarts right?” Mai looked up at him eyebrow raised her hand paused centimetres above what she had been about to highlight. That was even worse than all his practising. The feeling of wanting to sink through the floor was back and even stronger than before.  
“Yes…?” Mai said but it sounded more like a question than an answer. She looked at him eyebrows drawn slightly together. “That was you asking me out on a date yes?”  
“Yeah, yes. Please?” Zuko nodded.  
“I think I might not hate that.” Mai nodded smiling at him a moment before looking back at her paper. “You can pick me up from class after school.”  
“Of course.” Zuko nodded quickly before trying to refocus on his work. This proved to be a nearly futile attempt and by the time the bell rang for everyone to go to their first classes Zuko had barely made any progress.  
The day seemed to drag on for far longer than Zuko would have thought possible and the classes didn’t hold his interest. The growing feeling of excitement and anxiety in his stomach just got worse the more he tried to ignore it. He was almost glad that he ended up having to stay in class over the lunch break to finish his overdue assignments. It meant he didn’t have to deal with Azula blowing it all out of proportion. He did however have to deal with himself doing that.  
As the clock ticked closer to the final bell Zuko found himself unable to sit still continually looking up at the clock.  
“You got a hot date or something Zuko?” At the sound of his teachers voice Zuko’s eyes snapped from the clock back to the front of the room.  
“Yes.” It slipped out as a squeak before Zuko could stop it and he felt his face heat up as laughter rolled through the class.  
“Be that as it may I would appreciate at least a little attention paid to the lesson if you could?” The teacher sighed and looked at the roof for a moment as if it might hold the answers to the universe.  
“Yes Ma’am.” Zuko nodded attempting to focus for the rest of the lesson, he did manage to stop himself from looking up at the clock again. Other than that he wasn’t exactly successful. When the bell rang he was out the door like a shot; his things haphazardly shoved into his bag.  
Despite a quick stop at his locker to grab the homework he’d been assigned in the morning and his coat he still made it to Mai’s last class before she Azula and Ty Lee had left the room. The three of them were still seated, Mai and Ty Lee at their desks and Azula on Ty Lee’s desk. Once she saw him in the doorway Mai stood up and swept out of the room. Azula’s eyebrows rose, Zuko was almost certain she’d been in the middle of a sentence. After a beat Azula simply rolled her eyes and continued talking to Ty Lee.  
“Let’s see this neat cafe you were telling me about then.” Mai looped her arm through his and dragged him off towards the entrance of the school.  
The walk to the cafe was quiet but not, as Zuko had worried it would be, an uncomfortable quiet.  
“So uh, this is the place.” Zuko said as they arrived at the cafe. It was a small place tucked in between a second hand book store and a bike shop. “It’s a bit out of the way but I did a lot of walking around without going anywhere this summer and found it.”  
“It’s charming.” Mai said looking around as they entered the building. It was a small place with only a handful of tables, booths included. The whole place was decorated in browns and reds and yellows. “And you said their fruit tarts are good?”  
“The best I’ve had at least.” Zuko shrugged. “You’ll have to tell me.”  
They ordered, a couple fruit tarts to share, chai tea for Mai, and peppermint tea for Zuko, and then Mai picked a booth for them to sit at once their orders had been handed to them.  
There was a few minutes of silence while Zuko sipped his tea and Mai tested the tarts. Halfway through her second one Mai nodded. “Can’t compete with the one’s our baker makes but these are quite good for a regular cafe.”  
“You have a personal baker?” Zuko’s eyebrows rose slightly as he looked at her. Not that his family hadn’t had quite a few hired hands but it seemed a tad excessive to pay someone just to bake for you.  
“I get whatever I want remember?” Mai raise an eyebrow at him. “Besides with the amount of political parties my mother throws having a baker around is exceedingly useful.”  
“I guess that makes sense.” Zuko nodded. His family had never been one for parties, perhaps before his mother left but he barely remembered those times.  
“They’re terrible. Everyone who attends them is part of why the world is awful.” Mai sighed finishing off her tart. “You should come sometime.”  
“And watch you hate everything?”  
“Exactly.” Mai nodded.  
“I suppose.” Zuko said sipping his tea. “You are cute when you hate the world.”  
“I don’t hate you.” Mai hid her slight smile behind her tea cup.  
“I don’t hate you too.” Zuko smiled.  
The conversation shifted after that moving on to other more frivolous topics, like politics and school work. It was a few hours before they left the cafe. Much to Zuko’s surprise they didn’t run out of things to talk about until he’d walked Mai all the way back to her house. He grinned the whole way home, after all there was no one around to laugh at him for it.


	8. Friendship is magik

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang has the worst ideas but sometimes they work out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks to Lindy (hamboogle on tumblr for the halloween season) for betaing this much longer than anticipated fic  
> Also good news! We have finished the fic so I'll post the last few chapters over the next week or so!

It had been a few weeks since his first date with Mai but Zuko still felt like he was floating at least ninety percent of the time. He had also taken to getting to school very early almost every day despite the fact that Mai rarely arrived at school more than ten minutes before the bell. Still early was useful because it gave him time for finish his homework.  
“Shouldn’t you have done that yesterday?” The voice nearly made Zuko jump out of his skin, he hadn’t heard anyone approach the table, let alone sit down at it.  
“Shouldn’t you be avoiding me since you know…?” Zuko trailed off unsure of how much damage he and his sister had actually done to the kid, Aang.  
“Your sister nearly broke my spine?” He shrugged the movement drawing Zuko’s attention to the tattoos that ran down Aang’s arms ending in arrows on his hands.  
“What are those for anyway?” Zuko asked pointing to afore mentioned tattoos. He wasn’t sure how much of his reasoning for the change in topic was genuine interest and how much was not wanting to talk about the fight.  
Aang looked down at his arms as though Zuko’s question had genuinely confused him, or perhaps as though he’d forgotten the tattoos existed. “They meant I’ve completed my training, sort of.” He shrugged slightly. “They’re from the temple Gyatso and I used to live at before we left and he became my legal guardian.”  
“Oh.” Was Zuko’s highly intelligent reply his brow furrowing slightly as he caught the meaning behind some of Aang’s words. “Your birth parents?”  
“Either died or weren’t ready for a child. I was left at the temple, I wasn’t the only one at least.” Aang smiled slightly. “We used to play all sorts of games, up until the other Monks realized I was a prodigy, then everyone decided I had an unfair advantage.”  
“You seem a bit to chill with that.” Zuko said, in fact the aura of chill radiating off the kid was all sorts of levels of uncomfortable for Zuko. Which possibly had something to do with his own lack of chill.  
“Well there wasn’t much I could do about it, I couldn’t force them to play with me.” Aang shrugged, again seeming far too okay with his lot in life. “What’s your story then? Other than being terribly upset that I beat you in the tournament.”  
“I have what you could call a bit of a flammable relationship with my father, and my sister a bit.” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, he didn’t want to share much but he felt like he owed the kid some kind of explanation at the very least. After all as far as Zuko was aware he wasn’t pressing charges against him and his sister for assault. “After I lost to you things got really, uh, tense. You’re tiny and so much younger than me after all and my performance was disgraceful.”  
“Hence the me ruining your honour thing you and your sister were so upset about?” Aang asked raising an eyebrow slightly.  
Zuko nodded looking down at his notebook. “In any case I’m living with my Uncle now and we’ve been doing a lot of practising. Working on controlling my anger, that sort of thing.”  
“Well if you want a fair rematch you could come to the picnic me and Gyatso are holding.” Aang grinned at him seemingly quite pleased with this solution. “It’s to celebrate my full recovery from the fight with you and your sister.”  
Zuko was saved from having to figure out an answer by several things, mostly the arrival of Aang’s group of friends. Katara and Sokka immediately attempted to put themselves between Zuko and Aang, though he wasn’t really sure why. There was already a table between the two of them.  
“Is this guy bothering you Aang?” Sokka spoke before his sister but only by a couple seconds.  
“Yeah we can make him leave if you want?” Katara said. “The school does have a policy about this after all.”  
“He’s just lucky that you, for some reason, decided not to go to the authorities before now.”  
“No, no, its fine, we’re cool now.” Aang interrupted pulling the two of them back by their sleeves. “We were just talking. I invited him to the picnic.”  
“You what?” Katara’s face looked like she was wondering if perhaps Aang wasn’t entirely recovered after all. Not that Zuko really blamed her his reaction had been rather similar.  
“Invited him to the picnic.” Aang repeated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
“Guy you want to hold up a sec and tell me who we’re arguing about?” The girl, half hidden behind Katara spoke. Aang’s friend, the other new kid, her name started with a T maybe?  
“Him.” Katara pointed at Zuko who just barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.  
“Yes I got that he uses he/him pronouns I was wondering who exactly he was as I can’t you know see him.” Her voice got that explaining to a small child sound towards the end of the sentence and Zuko smirked. He liked this kid.  
“Sorry Toph.” Katara muttered but it was Sokka who actually answered the question.  
“His name is Zuko, he’s the asshole who attacked Aang.”  
“That’s fair.” It slipped out without Zuko realizing he’d said it until they all looked at him. “Well it is a fair description isn’t it?”  
“Hey wait you’re that kid who feeds the ducks and squirrels every lunch.” Toph walked around Katara and lifted herself to sit on the table between Zuko and Aang. “Nah he’s cool, the critters like him.”  
“I didn’t think anyone knew about that.” Zuko muttered feeling his ears go pink.  
“I mean if it’ll make you two really uncomfortable I’ll uninvite him.” Aang said shooting an apologetic look in Zuko’s direction.  
“Nah whatever, if Toph vouches for him I’m fine.” Sokka shrugged going around the table to sit down and pull out a few notebooks of his own.  
Katara on the other hand glared at Zuko while he attempted to look as nonthreatening as possible, the baggy sweater hopefully worked in his favor. “Fine whatever, I don’t like or trust him but I guess I can deal with his presence.” She huffed and sat as far from Zuko as she could get while still being at the same table.  
They would have likely spent the rest of the time before classes started in a slightly uncomfortable silence while finishing up homework if it wasn’t for the fact that after a minute or two of silence Toph turned to look in the general direction of Sokka and said some kind of inside joke, as even Katara managed a smile at it. All Zuko could get was that there were at least three puns in that single sentence. It also led to what could only be described as a pun war between Sokka and Toph which Aang occasionally added to. Zuko smiled slightly but just focused on his work, he wasn’t in on enough current events and pop culture knowledge to even attempt to figure out most of the puns they were coming up with let alone add his own. When the bell rang Aang handed him a written invite with the date and time of his picnic and an email address to send any allergies to.  
The next few days between then and the picnic passed fairly quickly. Zuko and Aang exchanged a few emails over the few days as Zuko asked if he could bring a guest, and then when Mai declined his invitation he needed to tell Aang he wasn’t bringing a guest so he didn’t screw up the numbers for anything. Then it was the weekend and the morning of the picnic dawned bright and clear, if a little windy. He was a bit late due to the fact that the morning rush at the Jasmine Dragon had been busier than usual. The park Aang had chosen already had quite a few people in it but it was easy enough to find the group he was looking for anyway. They were the largest group there. Some of them, like Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph he recognized. Others, like the group of girls with matching makeup and a couple boys who looked like they’d rolled through a field on the way there he did not. He stopped at the edge of the gathering, unsure of how to proceed.  
“Hey it’s Zuko.” Toph said pointing in his general direction, when he made a surprised noise she turned to face in his general direction and shrugged. “You’ve got a distinctive slouchy kind of walk.”  
“You made it!” Aang practically flew from where he was standing talking to an older guy Zuko assumed was probably Gyatso. Aang gestured behind him “This is everyone. Everyone this is Zuko.”  
“Hi.” Zuko waved slightly as everyone looked over at him. Before anyone else had a chance to say anything Zuko felt something lick his arm and he just about jumped out of his skin turning to look at what had to be the largest dog he’d ever seen.  
“That’s Appa!” Aang grinned and the dog turned away from Zuko to give Aang’s face the same treatment Zuko’s arm had gotten. “We think he’s probably a kuvasz mix, maybe with a Shepard dog or possibly a Newfoundlander.”  
Zuko raised an eyebrow at the picture they made, Aang was tiny even for a kid and the dog was roughly the size of a bear. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Aang could ride the dog.  
“Are going two going to stand over there talking dogs forever or are you actually going to join the rest of us?” Toph called in their direction.  
“Ya come eat and stop fussing over Appa’s breed.” One of the boys, this one was tall and gangly, called from where he’d sat down on a picnic blanket.  
Aang laughed and joined the others who were all coming in to sit on various blankets. Most of them were anyway, the girls with matching makeup and Katara were helping Gyatso put various dishes down on the blankets. Zuko took a couple steps towards them trying to figure out where to sit. He was saved the trouble when Toph reached up with eerily accurate aim and grabbed his sleeve. She practically yanked him down onto the blanket.  
“Don’t worry so much Zuko, twinkle toes likes you well enough and the other’s will all more or less follow his lead.” She shrugged then gestured towards the center of the blanket where Gyatso had just placed a half dozen dishes.. “Now dish me up some food would you.”  
The picnic continued more or less like that. Nearly everyone, with some obvious exceptions, seemed to at least tolerate his presence. Some of them even seemed to enjoy his company. Eventually they all started to drift off in ones or twos. The group of boys left together citing curfew, the girls with the makeup sighed something about practice which they dragged Sokka off to as well. Katara left shortly after that, half a dozen kids from the parks playground running after her. A car came to pick up Toph and the driver came to get her which caused her to roll her eyes muttering about not being an invalid. Eventually it was just Zuko, Aang, & Gyatso repacking the few leftovers and rolling up the blankets.  
“So do you want that rematch then?” Aang looked over at him with a grin. Out of the corner of his eyes Zuko saw Gyatso sigh and look up at the sky.  
Zuko shook his head. “I don’t need a rematch, I’d rather just be friends. If that’s okay with you?”  
“Of course!” Aang grinned. “You should teach me some of your moves though! I’ve never seen some of the combos you tried against me in our match!”  
“I…, I guess I can.” Zuko rubbed the back of his head.


	9. In which Azula is Offended that her brother has Other friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula once again shows up just to break things (or people) but things end a little differently this time. You also get some backstory for the characters that aren't Zuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks to Lindy (hamboogle on tumblr for the halloween season) for betaing this much longer than anticipated fic  
> Last Chapter will go up tomorrow are y'all excited for this to be over?? (I am)

The next day back to school passed uneventfully, right up until lunch break that is. Zuko got into the lunch room and was instantly flagged down by Aang. As soon as he got to the table Aang and his friend were sitting at Zuko heard a chair clatter. He turned in time to see his sister storming across the room while Ty Lee and Mai stared after her looking shocked.   
“I can’t believe I tried to defend your case to father!” She snarled at him. “I even told him you were the one who beat the twerp and now you’re acting like pals!”  
“Azula you don’t understand.” Zuko said putting his tray down and raising his hands, he really didn’t want a confrontation in the lunch room again.   
“I understand just fine!” She snapped stopping just inches from him. “The kid made a fool of you and now you’re going to his picnics and acting all buddy buddy with him, eating lunch at his table over ours! You’re a bloody disgrace!”   
Zuko didn’t know what to say, he was worried mostly about pushing her to far. She looked seconds from a breakdown. Luckily he was saved from having to say anything by Mai and Ty Lee’s arrival.  
“Azula calm down, we’re at school.” Ty Lee’s voice was quiet behind her.  
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Azula snapped turning to look at Ty Lee but whirling back just as quickly when Zuko tried to back up. That apparently was the last straw for her. She snarled launching herself at her brother, her hand made contact with Zuko’s cheek and the resulting crack was loud enough that silence fell in the lunchroom. Those few who had been ignoring the confrontation up to this point now looked on in tense silence. Zuko blocked the next hit managing to back up a few steps. Azula lunged again but this time her arm was blocked by Mai who’d stepped in between them.   
“Get out of the way.” Azula’s voice sounded like the kind of ice that burns and her eyes narrowed as she looked at Mai. “This isn’t your fight.”  
“You’ve miscalculated.” Mai said quietly shaking her head. “I love him more than I fear you.”   
“No you’ve miscalculated.” Azula snarled. “You should have feared me more.”  
Azula and Mai seemed to blur as they exchanged blows neither one actually landing a hit. They would seem evenly matched to anyone watching unless they noticed that Mai rarely attacked unless Azula stepped to close. Then Ty Lee stepped into view ducking under one of Azula’s arms and suddenly Azula sagged. It was only for a second but it was long enough for Mai to step back to stand beside Zuko. It was Katara who stepped between them this time.   
“Azula it’s over.” Katara spoke quietly locking eyes with Azula as she stood up. Azula looked away to glance between Katara and Ty Lee. If Zuko didn’t know her better he would have thought she looked almost hurt.   
“It’s never over.” Azula was back to glaring at Katara again. “Not while I have to live with what he put our father through.”  
Katara tilted her head slightly looking at Azula in confusion.   
“Azula he didn’t do anything.” Ty Lee said quietly coming to stand by Katara effectively blocking Zuko from Azula’s view.   
“Exactly!” Azula ran a hand through her hair tugging strands free from her pony tail. “He let himself get beat by some child! He kept doing everything wrong and pushed father and then let himself get taken away. He didn’t even try to fight to go back to father!”   
“That’s not his fault.” Katara said as both she and Ty Lee stepped towards Azula. By this point everyone not involved had cleared out of the lunch room. Included in that was basically everyone from Aang’s group except Katara.  
“Then who am I supposed to blame?” Azula asked her voice sounding bitter. It was at this point that Mai decided it was a good idea to drag Zuko out of the room.   
The two of them joined the others outside giving Ty Lee and Katara space to finish calming Azula down.   
“So I guess you’re not the only hothead in your family then.” Sokka commented as Mai and Zuko found the group of them sitting in the grass.   
“No that’s a family trait, my uncle is basically the only one who isn’t a hot head, I think he drinks to much tea for it.” Zuko said sitting down as well, Mai settled beside him managing to look elegant while sitting in the grass.   
“The one you live with now?” Aang asked looking at him curiously.  
“Yes.” Zuko nodded. “At the tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon.”  
“Hey I know that place, old dude there gives good advice.” Toph piped up smiling slightly. “Good tea too.”  
Eventually the conversation drifted away from Zuko’s family and on to other topics. Over the course of the conversation Zuko learned a good many things about everyone. Toph for instance was an only child and even more sheltered than Mai had been until she insisted on going to school rather than being kept at home. Well. after her family realized she was sneaking out most evenings to attend martial arts classes she’d signed herself up for anyway. Aang had apparently only gotten into the school because the headmaster owed Gyatso a favour. Suki was the name of Sokka’s girlfriend who as far as Zuko could tell was either the leader of a gang or the leader of a martial arts group. It was a bit unclear the way Sokka talked about her. Sokka managed to tell terrible jokes about almost every topic that came up. So often in fact that even Mai started groaning at them eventually.   
“So you could say they had a bit of a rocky relationship at first.” Sokka grinned around the circle as everyone groaned. The bell rang before any of them could actually reply to Sokka. They more or less scattered at the sound of the bell, with the exception of Toph and Aang everyone else was in a different class and no one wanted to be late.   
The rest of the day passed without Zuko knowing what had happened with Azula. He went to his classes and at the end of the day he and Mai went out for tarts. That had sort of become part of their weekly routine at this point. All he got from her was that not one of them, Katara, Ty Lee, or Azula had been in classes for the afternoon. It didn’t really bother him.   
At least not until he got back to find the tea shop with a closed sign on it and a single car parked outside. His eyes widened slightly as he walked through the door. Two people who looked so much like social workers they might as well have had that written on their jackets were sitting at one of the tables. Iroh sat across from them, as did Azula.


	10. In which School ends and Azula moves into the Tea shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to see the tea shop! Also Iroh throws a party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter! Who's excited? (I am. I am excited to finally be finished the fic that was supposed to be a quick warmup)  
> To note: The most unrealistic part of this fic is how quickly their case got through the system  
> Many many thanks to Lindy (hamboogle on tumblr for the halloween season) for betaing this fic it would have likely been a complete trainwreak otherwise  
> Pls enjoy my trash ships :)

It had been months since their fight in the cafeteria and while they didn’t always get along their relationship was much better than it had been. The court case this time had taken longer, as it would when there was actually a disagreement about who wanted the child. Everyone, Azula included this time who told the judge about all the things their father had told her, testified against their father. Their teachers brought in reports from other kids but Zuko figured it was probably Aang’s testimony that did it. The kid had a way with words that Zuko envied. It also turned out Aang had done a fair amount of research on his father in the months leading up to the court date. In the end the judge ruled their father unfit and gave Iroh custody of Azula as well. So of course Iroh wanted to do something to celebrate.  
And that’s how Azula and Zuko ended up sitting side by side in one of the booths in the Jasmine Dragon surrounded by everyone Iroh had deemed even remotely part of their friend group and their families.  
“Don’t look so glum, they’re just trying to help.” Mai said quietly as she slipped into the booth next to Zuko.  
“I thought you hated this kind of thing?” Zuko muttered attempting a smile as someone looked over at him.  
“No I hate when my mother throws parties and invites all the best liars in town, this is different.” She laid a hand gently on Zuko’s arm. “Besides as your uncle keeps saying there is nothing wrong with letting people who love you, help you.”  
“Oh gods please don’t start quoting my uncle.” Zuko buried his face in his hands.  
Mai just laughed quietly and tugged on one of his hands. “Come on, stop pouting and come help me make tea.”  
As Mai slipped out of the booth dragging Zuko after her Katara and Ty Lee slipped in to sit on either side of Azula.  
“Come on Azula, smile! We won.” Ty Lee smiled gently at her.  
“Right,” Azula sighed looking at the roof. “Now I get to live above a tea shop with my irksome brother and ridiculous Uncle.”  
“Bright side, you’re just down the road from my place.” Katara said leaning against the booth and smiling at Azula.  
“Not fair.” Ty Lee whined, that hadn’t occurred to her until Katara said it. “You’re even closer to her than you are to me.”  
“I’m a more relaxing presence anyway.” Katara smirked slightly.  
“Okay that’s fair.” Ty Lee nodded. “But I’m more fun, you’re always like ‘we need to finish our homework’ and being all serious and stuff.”  
“You two are ridiculous.” Azula muttered from behind her hands which she’d raised to cover her face as soon as the two of them started.  
“My brother would disagree.” Katara said ruffling Azula’s hair and getting up. Azula looked almost offended as she tried to fix her hair.  
“Come on let’s take advantage of the fact that your uncle cleared away most of the space and there’s actually decent music playing.” Ty Lee grinned catching Azula’s hand before she could fix her hair and dragging her too out of the booth and onto the cleared area. Iroh had attempted to set up an impromptu dance floor which was sadly being left empty.  
Katara laughed catching Azula’s other hand and once the three of them started dancing most of the other’s joined them on the dance floor. Mai dragged Zuko out of yet another hiding place, the two of them somehow managed to waltz to almost every song. Sokka and Suki seemed to have just been waiting until they were not the only ones on the dance floor. Toph and Aang both joined in and after a few moments appeared to be having a dance competition of some kind. Though they also didn’t seem to be dancing in even remotely the same genre of dance.  
Iroh sat in the booth nearest the kitchen talking with Gyatso. “The school year is over but the two of them have so much to heal from. I don’t know how we’ll deal with it all.”  
“We cannot concern ourselves with what was,” Gyatso smiled gesturing towards where all the kids had started dancing. “We must focus on what is.”

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry.


End file.
